Hi Global Recap readers,
I really tried today to find stories that weren’t about President Trump so we could mix things up a bit. I found a few, but they either somehow circled back to him or just weren’t as geopolitically urgent as today’s headlines.
That said, he dropped huge bombs today (literally and figuratively). 👇🏼
👀 This Week So Far
Quick Catch-Up
🇬🇧 UK: The UK is weighing rules that could force platforms to boost public-service and "trusted" news.
🇵🇱🇷🇺 Poland-Russia: The US reportedly warns Poland that Russia may be preparing a deniable "armed provocation" on NATO territory.
🇮🇷🇺🇸 Iran-US: The US hits more than 80 Iranian targets after US officials say Iran attacked 3 commercial vessels near Hormuz.
🇵🇸 Palestine: Hamas says it dissolved its Gaza government and is preparing to hand civilian power to the UN-backed NCAG, but it still has not agreed to disarm.
🇹🇷🇺🇸 Turkey-US: President Trump says the US will lift CAATSA sanctions on Turkey and consider F-35 sales.
🇺🇦🇺🇸 UKRAINE & US
Ukraine Gets
Patriots License
Great news for Ukrainian President Zelenskky, since he’s been asking the US government to grant Ukraine the license.
President Trump told Ukrainian President Zelenskyy the US will give Ukraine a license to make Patriot interceptor missiles, giving Kyiv a welcome air-defense edge while Russia keeps pounding Ukrainian cities.
Catch. Trump said the US would show Ukraine how, but the companies involved had not been informed yet.
Need. Zelenskyy has been pushing for production rights because Ukraine is short on interceptors and cannot reliably stop Russian ballistic missiles without them.
Defense. Patriot is a defensive surface-to-air missile system: radar, command tech, launchers, and interceptors built to knock down aircraft, drones, cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles.
Timing. The timing of the announcement is crucial because Russia just fired another large overnight barrage this week, and Ukraine said all 5 ballistic missiles got through.
🇮🇷🇺🇸 IRAN & US
Deal Is Over
The moment President Trump says that the MOU is over.
President Trump said the Iran MOU is “over,” and called Iranian leaders "scum" and "sick people," but still left negotiators room to keep talking. He also said that the US wasted “a lot of time with them.” This is clearly the "told-you-so" moment critics of the MOU were waiting for, and it seems like Secretary of State Rubio was one of them. 👇🏼
People are point out that Secretary of State Marco Rubio is finally smiling again, now that President Trump has returned to a tougher stance on Iran after weeks of calling the regime “reasonable.”
Second Wave
A video reportedly showing the massive blast caused by US strikes.
The break was not just rhetorical. The US hit Iran again after yesterday's strikes.
Reminder. The first US wave hit more than 80 targets, including air-defense systems, coastal surveillance, missiles, drone launch sites, and IRGC small boats.
Timing. A second US wave followed Wednesday night, using cruise missiles to hit 2 railway bridges in northeastern Iran. This is the first reported US strike on Iranian infrastructure since the April ceasefire.
Reply. Kuwait said air defenses were confronting hostile missile and drone threats. Bahrain sounded air-raid sirens. Iran's Guards claimed attacks on US military sites in both countries.
New Updates
Ports. Explosions were reported in Bushehr, Bandar Abbas, Sirik, Chabahar, and other Iranian coastal areas. CENTCOM later said the second round hit about 90 Iranian military targets.
The call. Trump later claimed Iran had called and wanted "to make a deal so badly," then immediately questioned whether Tehran was "worthy" of one.
The risk. Iran's top negotiator said the strait would open only with "Iranian arrangements," while Trump warned US strikes would get "much worse" if ships are hit again.
🌐 WORLD
NATO Summit
Rapid Fire News
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa (left) and US President Donald Trump (right).
🇸🇾 Syria off the list. Trump moved to remove Syria from the US state-sponsor-of-terrorism list, opening a 45-day congressional review clock. The bet is that sanctions relief will both encourage President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s government to keep the pressure on Hezbollah (a group it is already seen as hostile toward) and pave the way for foreign investment to help rebuild Syria.
US President Donald Trump (left) and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez (right).
🇪🇸 Trade Embargo. Trump ordered an immediate cut off all US trade with Spain after PM Pedro Sanchez refused NATO's 5% defense-spending target. Spain has also taken the opposite approach on immigration, recently moving to regularize hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants. The dispute now reflects not just a political disagreement, but a broader ideological divide.
US Vice President JD Vance (left) and the Second Lady of the United States Usha Vance (right) in Greenland.
🇬🇱 Greenland, again. Trump renewed his claim that the US should control Greenland, accusing Denmark of underinvesting in the island’s defense and warning about Russian and Chinese activity in the Arctic. Denmark’s PM Mette Frederiksen pushed back at the Ankara NATO summit, saying Greenland is “not for sale” and that the US should respect Danish sovereignty.
